Misfortunate
by halfshapefan
Summary: DURING The Avengers, a private citizen is captured by Loki and his army. Rated T because I'm overly cautious. An all-around good read and loads of mischief. Slight Loki/OC
1. Found the Villain

I kicked back against the man dragging me through the building, but nothing worked. All I had managed to do was stall the inevitable. Sweat drenched my head and stuck my hair to my face and neck. If only he would let me go. Now!

I screamed and kicked again, and the man holding me growled and pulled tighter against my arms and abdomen. "Stop," he demanded.

I didn't listen, and why should I? He dragged me through another door and held firm. Unfortunately, he wouldn't take any chances in releasing me.

"Barton," someone hissed, and I heard the sound of boots against the hard floor. The voice was closer the second time. "What is this?"

Someone plucked at my sleeve. I shrieked and kicked my heels against the floor, trying to back away. Unfortunately, this Barton person still held me firmly. He didn't let up.

"I found her snooping around outside," Barton supplied the explanation. "She had this." He moved me to rest in one arm and used the other to hand something over to the man who seemed to be in charge. Thanks to my hair, I still couldn't see him.

Something clicked, and I knew it was my camera. Stupid, stupid idea to take late afternoon pictures of this abandoned building. But the lighting had been perfect. If the building had still been abandoned. I hadn't meant to crash their party, whatever it was. Gang, drugs, funny money, weapons. I didn't care. All I wanted to do was leave.

Sadly, that was impossible.

"What in the nine realms is this?" the voice seethed with rage.

I kicked at Barton again, and he placed his second arm back around me. "It's a camera, you idiot!" I screamed.

A long, cold finger moved my wet hair from my face, and I saw him for the first time. Super tall, with blue eyes, green armor, and a creepy staff. Whoever he was, I wanted him to just go away.

I glared at him.

He smiled, as though someone had just played a prank on him. Breathed a small laugh. "I like her."

"What do you want me to do with her?" Barton moved his head to avoid getting hit by mine.

The other man tossed his spear... staff... _thing _at someone nearby (a guy who, honestly, looked more like a mercenary than an ally) and beckoned to Barton. "Give her to me."

Barton released me, and I regained my balance and ran. The "in-charge" guy stretched out a single arm and caught me around my middle. He pulled me close, trapping me like Barton had. Stupid strong people. This guy was stronger than Barton, I thought. Which was odd, because he was also skinnier than Barton. By a long shot.

"Let me go, you creep!" I pulled at his arms, and he tightened his grip. So tight I could barely breathe. Meaning I couldn't fight very well as he dragged me down a long hallway and through a door.

He kicked it shut behind himself and threw me down on the bed. I scrambled to sit up. No way was I going to let him toss me around like a rag doll. Jerk.

He pointed a finger at me. "Stay there."

"No way." I scrambled to get off the bed, but he pushed me back with one hand. I moaned and pressed a hand to my shoulder, where he had pushed. It hurt. "Who are you?"

He looked up from his pacing and gave me that same evil smirk. He extended his arms in invitation. "I am Loki. Of Asgard."

"Yeah, well, never heard of you, so..." I raised an eyebrow and shrugged. Then I stood from the bed and folded my arms.

Loki chuckled. "Spirit."

"I prefer hot-headed, egocentric, stubborn woman who wishes you would just LEAVE ME ALONE!" Yes, I realized it sounded like I was throwing a tantrum. I kind of was. I thought I had that prerogative since they had totally abducted me.

"And I prefer that you stay here until I have need of you."

"Oh, fat chance."

He turned and stormed toward me, and I quickly backed away. My legs hit the side of the bed, and I tumbled back onto it. Loki leaned over me and placed a hand on either side of my shoulders. His face inches from mine.

"You will do as you are told. You do not desire to experience my wrath."

I nodded, mostly because he was super intimidating.

"Good." He didn't move. Just stared down into my eyes.

A knock at the door, and he groaned and turned his head that way. "Speak."

"News from the scientist," the voice yelled back.

Loki turned his head back to me. "It seems it's your lucky day. Business calls. Do not move from this room. Am I understood?"

"Yeah."

He moved, flying for the door. I scurried from the bed and found the furthest corner I could. This day had started so beautifully. Great sunshine. Promise of great new pictures. And then, somehow, I had found the villain.


	2. Travel Preparations

The door shot open, and I curled into the corner. Loki hadn't tried anything yet, but that didn't mean he wouldn't. Honestly, he was probably scarier than Hannibal the cannibal. Thankfully, I don't think Loki ate human flesh.

He slammed the end of his spear down onto the ground, and the sound boomed through the enclosed space. "Mortal!"

I threw my hands up over my head, hoping beyond hope he wouldn't ask anything horrible.

"Come here!"

I wrinkled my nose and tried not to groan. Considering that spear was super sharp and pointy, I thought it might be a good idea to do what he asked. So I scurried from my corner and stopped at the far corner of the bed.

He sighed heavily and motioned again. "Here." He pointed at the floor in front of him.

"You're not gonna stab me or something, are you?" Better safe than sorry.

He chuckled. "No. As I said, you have spirit. I like spirit."

That might have been worse than an actual stab wound. It wasn't really the words he said – after all, he planned to keep me alive (yes!) – but rather the tone in which he said them. Like he totally had something up his sleeve.

I stopped just outside of arm's reach.

He motioned again.

I took a step.

He motioned more animatedly this time.

Another baby step.

He reached out and grabbed my arm. "Thank you for your cooperation." And he dragged me out behind him, kicking and fighting. Nothing seemed to hurt him.

So, instead, I bit his arm.

Loki stopped and pulled me closer. He glared down into my face, and I held my breath to keep from crying. "Do not try this another time, mortal. You will regret it."

I doubted that it had really hurt him that much. I had gotten a mouthful of nasty-tasting leather, though I could feel the flesh move beneath it. Besides, he deserved it. If I hadn't bit him, someone else would have punched him or something. But, he scared my. So I nodded, acting like I cared. Which, of course, I didn't. He'd probably end up killing me anyway.

"Where are we going?" I asked bitterly.

With an evil smirk, Loki dragged me farther down the hallway. He didn't answer my question, which I guessed was probably payback for biting him. Okay, so maybe I deserved that. Not really, but I could at least see where he was coming from. He pulled me past some weird hub of people with some even weirder blue light coming from the back. This seemed ominous. And important. I stored it in my mental notes to remember later.

"Why am I even here?" I stumbled over my own feet. Gosh, this guy could move. "I'm obviously just a piece of baggage, you don't even need me. So why am I still alive?"

Loki didn't utter a word until we were suddenly outside a weird-looking airplane. Some sort of propellers that could shift their position looked like the only power source. He spun me to face him and smirked down at me.

"Don't need you, you say? How would you know? Perhaps I will find a mortal prisoner to my advantage once my plan unfolds."

"I'm a nobody. No one's going to care if you have me as a prisoner or not. I have nothing that can lead them to you. At this point I don't even know where you're going. So why don't you just let me go?"

His grip tightened on my arm and I winced. That was definitely going to bruise.

"Oh, dear. It seems I've imposed my handprint upon your arm. We can't risk that falling into the wrong hands... can we?"

"Jerk!" I screamed at him, trying to wrench my arm from his grip.

He caught me easily and held me against him until I stopped struggling. "So, who is to say I won't need you? Until such a time as I decree your presence unnecessary, you will remain with my men and I."

"I loathe you."

"I don't care. _I _am in control. _I _will give the orders."

"Doesn't mean I have to stand by and take 'em." I raised an eyebrow, daring him to hurt me more than he already had. _Go ahead and end it,_ I added silently. Anything would be better than trekking along behind this madman. Even the painful death I knew he'd make me go through if he decided to kill me.

He snarled and pushed me ahead of him onto the plane. I tripped over an unforeseen ridge in the floor and would have hit my head on something if the guy who had found me in the first place hadn't caught me. He wasn't so bad, I guessed. A little military, but he looked like he knew what he was doing. Barton, wasn't that what Loki had said his name was?

"Thanks," I mumbled.

Barton just stared and then turned to Loki. "She's coming with us, sir?"

"It isn't your place to question me, Barton."

"Yes, sir. I'm just wondering why. There are plenty of men to guard her here."

"Yes, I know." Loki sounded seriously annoyed and I hoped he didn't slay this Barton guy right then and there. "Plenty of _men_. Men I don't trust to respect and stay away from one as..." he stepped forward and lifted a tendril of my hair, "_lovely _as she." He dropped my hair with a maniacal smirk and strode to his seat by the pilot. "Watch her closely."

"Yes, sir."

Okay, so yeah. I was fed up with being treated like an invisible unicorn. I sighed dramatically and turned to Barton. "Where _are_ we going?"

Barton looked to Loki, who checked to be sure the plane was sealed and then nodded once. Barton uttered one word that clarified nothing.

"Stuttgart."


	3. Villainous

**So, I know I just posted the last chapter not even a week ago, but this chapter practically wrote itself! A big thanks to all who have followed/favorited so far, you have no idea how much it means! Reviews/comments are always appreciated and are highly motivating. I'd love to hear what you think of this story so far and what you'd love to see happen. Now, without further ado:**

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Chapter 3 – Villainous

"This is for the best."

That was what Barton said exactly three seconds before he used a silky scarf to blindfold me. Which was totally rude! I had no idea why I needed the blindfold, or what they thought I'd see. Obviously this plan had been a new development, maybe meant to scare me. If so, it was totally working.

"How am I supposed to know whether or not there's something I'm going to trip over?" Maybe I could out-trick these tricky people. Maybe. I crossed the fingers on one hand, but not the other because Barton would have seen it if I did. I thought. I didn't know. Not being able to see created a whole new host of problems.

Suddenly, I felt an exhalation of cool air against my ear. I stiffened. Normal people don't breathe out cold air. It had to be him. Icy fingers trailed down my cheek, and I jerked my head aside. I didn't belong to him. He needed to take his grimy paws off me.

His quiet laughter caused more cold air to tickle the shell of my ear. "You won't."

What? That could not mean what I thought it might. But it did.

I felt myself being lifted into someone's quite capable, overly strong arms and honestly all I wanted to do was jump out and flee. Run like the cops were on my tail. Because I wished they were. I pushed against his chest, trying to free myself from his grip. It was no use, and everyone knew it. Especially him by the amusement in his chuckle. If I could have ripped out his vocal chords, I would have.

A blast of cool wind hit me and I assumed that meant I had left the plane behind. Surely someone would see this awkward situation and report it, right? Not everyone could be on the bad guy's side. A feeling in the pit of my stomach let me know that we were ascending something. A flight of stairs, probably. I wasn't sure where we were or if we had moved form the landing spot or how we had gotten there so fast. But we were definitely going up.

Man, Loki wasn't even breathing heavy. How could he possibly have enough strength to carry me this far uphill? Of course, even if he did put me down I was blindfolded and probably couldn't go anywhere without practically killing myself on the way. He'd just laugh and catch up, hopefully before I died of head trauma. Maybe it was best to ride this one out until I could see again. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan.

The floor leveled out (thank God!) and I tried not to breathe out a heavy sigh of relief.

"You are strangely quiet," Loki offered in a whisper.

I didn't reply. No way was I going to talk on command, which was definitely what this whole conversation felt like. Conversation? Did I say that? No, there _was _no conversation. Just one-sided attempts at a conversation, and it was all on him. I don't talk to animals.

Something clicked, like a door opening, and soon I felt him release me. Setting me down. Finally! My bare feet touched down on a cold floor – probably linoleum or tile... Wait, _bare _feet? When did that happened? Where were my shoes? What craziness was this? I involuntarily yelped at the sudden realization.

Slender fingers slid the scarf from my eyes and I blinked at the light, then spun in a wide circle. This was the living room of a hotel suite, and that was freaky. There was a guard in each of the four corners of the room, which meant at least I wasn't alone with the crazy guy. Barton was one of the guards. His presence made me feel a little less scared, because I was pretty sure he wouldn't let Loki hurt me, even if he was on the madman's side. Speaking of which...

I did another 180 to make sure I knew exactly where Loki had gone. I didn't need him sneaking up on my and doing something idiotic like scaring me half to death.

That, of course, is exactly what happened. All because I tried to take a step toward a doorway. And then I suddenly found myself pushed down onto the couch while Loki stood over me with his scepter in one hand. I eyed it carefully.

"Dude, seriously? What did I do?"

"Did I say you could move from the very spot I placed you in?"

I rolled my eyes. "Gonna go with no?"

Unamused, he used one arm to hold me against the cushions on the back of the couch. It hurt, maybe more than the bruise forming on my arm because he was pushing down on my freaking chest! My heart and lungs practically burned from lack of circulation. Why was he so strong?!

I glanced to the men in the corners. "You're gonna pull this with... those guys... standing around?" Man, it was hard to talk when I could barely breathe.

Loki turned only his eyes to each man respectively and that mischievous smirk spread across his face again. "I will do anything I want. They will not stop me, nor will they remember what happened."

Okay, curiosity piqued. So much for not talking to animals. "How?"

He inspected his spear and laid the tip gently against my chest. I could feel the sharpness and... some other kind of power. I didn't know what it was. My respiration doubled.

"Oh, yes. You feel it, don't you? The rush of ultimate power. You wish to know how I win my loyalists? Do you?"

I nodded, even though it scared me to no end.

He glanced down at the shimmering blue stone set in the spear's head. "This. I am in their minds. I _am _their conscience. I see through their eyes and I tell them what they shall become. If I do not wish them to remember an even, they shall not. Until I say otherwise, they are to remain in their respective positions with the express purpose of ensuring you... safety. I can do as I wish to you, and they would never utter a word."

I chanced yet another glance at them and noticed for the first time how blue their eyes were. Every single one the same color. Oh. No. I didn't want to become one of them. Anything but an emotionless robot with an (I assumed) alien master that would make me cater to his every whim.

"Please," I whispered. "Please, no."

"Are you asking me to spare you?" he hissed.

I shut my eyes and prepared for the worst. I still couldn't calm my breathing, and I was sure my chest heaved in an attempt to suck in more oxygen. I nodded. "Please."

"Tell me, mortal, why should I? Why should I spare you when I have not spared even the most noble of men from this mark on their minds?"

I opened my eyes and stared into his. "Because I'm different."

"Oh, different, you say?" He chuckled, and I was really starting to get tired of the mischievous "ehhehehe" sound. "And why should I believe you? Would you not say anything to spare yourself this pain? Would you not lie to spare yourself from a fate you deem... oh, how do you mortals put it? Worse than death?" He tightened his grip on the spear and the tip felt heavier against my chest.

"Please!" I arched my back to get away from it, but it didn't work. He had me securely pinned. "Please, I'll do anything! Anything you want, just don't do this! _Please_, Loki!" The hot, frightened tears wet my face now. So much for any makeup I might have still had in place.

"Anything I want?" He sounded... amused. Which thoroughly ticked me off, so I didn't say anything. "_Anything_ I want, mortal?" Another stab of pain as the spearhead pressed farther against my flesh.

"Yes!" I cried loudly. "Anything. I promise. Anything you want."

He finally backed off and the spear disappeared in a shroud of green mist. "Remember you have promised this."


	4. Stuttgart

**Kind of a lot longer than previous parts, but it needed to be said. Enjoy the fun!**

* * *

Loki finally allowed me to go to the room he had designated "mine", and I did so in quite a hurry. Unfortunately, the first thing I saw sent my heartbeat into double-time. No. Oh-ho-ho, no. Not happening. He could torture me and slice me open, but there was absolutely no way I was doing this.

The silky green dress stared back at me from the bedspread and (as it was a piece of clothing) said nothing.

I stood absolutely still, staring at the fabric splayed across the bed. I couldn't. Despite how absolutely terrifying he was and how much he obviously wanted me to put it on, it just wasn't going to happen. He'd have to get over it.

"Put it on," Loki's voice sounded from my doorway.

I spun to stare at him, unsure what to say and definitely unsure what he would do if I said no. Which is totally what was about to come out of my mouth. I could feel it on the tip of my tongue, begging to be spat at him like he was the most disgusting thing I had seen. Ever. Only, then he would use that spear thing on me and I wasn't sure that would go over well with anyone, especially the one whose mind would be gone.

He settled the end of the spear on the floor. "You swore to me-"

"Yeah, I know." I waved a hand dismissively. "I promised."

"Then do as you are told." He disappeared and the door shut all by its lonesome. He had probably locked all the windows too. Why'd he have to be a smart guy? Why couldn't, just for once, there be a dumb villain who just let me go and forgot about me? When had that become a normal question? I sighed and sank onto the bed next to the dress.

"Looks like it's just us," I said to the unwavering fabric. "And, for the record, it's not _you_ I hate. It's what you stand for."

I could hear the nervous pacing from outside my now closed door, and I wasn't sure how much longer he would hold off dressing me himself. He seemed insistent enough that I knew he would if I didn't get on with it. With a huff, I stood and snatched at the super soft fabric. Softer than any I'd ever touched. I threw it back down. I was _not _going to enjoy this! I was in the company of a supervillain, and there was no way I was going to find anything good to say about the time I spent there.

The dress hugged my curves perfectly (dang it, he had good taste) and didn't dip terribly low in the back as I had feared it might. The neck in front sat on my collarbones, so that was good too. Where had he gotten it? The fabric felt like melted chocolate against my skin. _When_ had he gotten it might have been the better question. I hadn't been abducted that long. He couldn't have known he would need this. A chill ran down my spine.

The door creaked open and I forced myself to not turn around. No way was I going to grace him with my attention.

An icy finger trailed down one of my bare arms, and I closed my eyes to shut out the sensation it caused. "You are exquisite," Loki cooed.

I shrugged away from him and hiked up the hem that I kept stepping on. "You expect me to walk around barefoot?"

He caressed a lock of my hair. "Will it force you to flee more slowly if I provide you pediatric apparel?"

"Well, it is harder to run in heels," I admitted as I shifted away from his creepy touch and marched to the farthest corner of the room. "But I was really thinking that people will stare if I'm barefoot wherever we're going. I'm assuming this dress is because we're going somewhere?"

He smirked and procured a pair of gold strappy heels from seemingly nowhere. Tossed them onto the bed, and waited for me to make my move. I'd have to go past him to get to them.

With a deep breath I finally raced past him, having to brush his shoulder to get to the other side, and snatched the heels from the bed. Before he could do anything else, I dashed into the sitting room/living room place and sank onto the couch. I slid the heels onto my feet as fast as I could, waiting for him to say something or do something completely uncivil.

The second I finished adjusting the straps on my feet, his hand wrapped around my upper arm, perfectly mirroring the bruise he had already impressed there. I winced as he pulled me to my feet.

"I am sorry for this."

I wasn't sure what he did, but I felt my legs give out as I passed out.

When I came to, I was laying across the backseat of some kind of SUV. I took some time to readjust, noticing that Barton drove while Loki sat pensively in the passenger seat. The car screeched to a halt the instant I sat up.

"We're here, sir," Barton announced.

Loki was out of the car in an instant and had the door beside me open before I could blink. He yanked me out, and barely steadied me and I struggled to find balance on the five-inch heels he had given me. Even with the added inches, he towered over me.

The door slammed, and he glared down into my wide blue eyes. "Stay close," he ordered. "Or you will regret it."

I didn't think I wanted to know what that tone behind his voice meant. It was sinister, insinuating something I didn't want to think about. I couldn't imagine the tortures he could dream up. So I nodded and glanced to the arm he still held in a vise.

Loki smiled, took my hand, and looped it up around his arm. I didn't like the impression it gave that the two of us were a happy couple on the way to a party. Because I was not happy. And we were not a couple. This guy was a smooth liar, but he would never trick me into believing him. He was too scary for that.

He escorted me to the door of a giant building that I thought might be a museum, judging by the signs and paraphernalia outside. Somewhere, he had gotten an invite or two to this shindig, because he produced them and handed them to the armed guard. The guy waved us both through, idiot that he obviously was.

I found myself, still arm-in-arm with Loki, on an upper balcony, overlooking the soiree below. Guests in evening wear strolled about, some stopping to stare at various ancient objects. Yep, this was definitely a museum. And these people had no idea what was about to happen to them. For that matter, neither did I. Loki had been unpredictable at best thus far. There was no meter by which to judge him.

Suddenly, I found my back against the wall as he glowered down at me. "Stay here. Someone will be to fetch you shortly."

"W-where are you going?" I managed to squeak. He was hurting my arm again, darn bruise.

He ran a finger down my cheek and that wide, evil smile brightened his face again. Or turned it darker. I wasn't sure which. He leaned down until his mouth was inches from my ear. "You'll see soon enough."

And then he was gone.

I watched him saunter down the hallway and start down the giant staircase. Something propelled me forward to the balcony, and I used the railing to steady myself. I couldn't help but watch his progress as he carefully picked his way down the first few stairs, a cane I didn't remember seeing in one hand. A guard (smarter than the one outside, apparently) stepped to question him.

Loki bashed in his skull with one swift thrust of the cane.

He produced some sort of gadget as he flipped a helpless old guy onto an old stone altar of some sort. He drove the gadget into the man's eye, and the guy writhed in pain. Still alive. I was the first one to shriek and cower down behind the railing. I felt like throwing up at the guy kept writhing and people started to flee.

I watched through thick rail posts as he smiled devilishly and turned to follow the fleeing crowd. One long stride at a time, just like everything else he'd done. His armor and spear appeared as he walked, taking shape with a shimmer of green light. People in long dresses and sharp suits scurried out around him, trying to get away from the madman following them.

I waited until he had made it out the door to sneak down the stairs as fast as I could, using the railing for balance. By the time I reached the front door, Loki had made it down the front steps and... wait, what? Multiples? Could clones really hurt people? I wondered all this because it had caused everyone to stop in the middle of the street.

"I said: KNEEL!" Loki commanded. Maybe for the second time, but I wasn't sorry I had missed the beginning of this. I stopped in both terror and surprise when the people knelt. Loki smiled and stretched his arms wide. "Is this not simpler? Is this not..."

Blah. Blah. Blah. Typical villainous monologue from the typical power-hungry bad guy. I didn't have time for this. He was focused on that circle of a couple hundred people, and not me. This was my chance. Without a second thought, I made a break for it. Down the street.

And straight into the arms of a giant henchman. I recognized him from the hotel room, if the ice blue eyes weren't a dead giveaway. He gripped me hard and started to pull me along down the sidewalk. So I did what I'd been doing since day one. I fought for all I was worth, occasionally glancing over my shoulder to see how the villain speech was holding up. Only to realize it wasn't.

A spangly fella just about as tall as Loki had appeared from somewhere, and the people had moved now. There was a shield involved, but I had to look forward to see where I was going. The fight went on and on. I could hear the metal shield and hard sound of fists hitting things.

The henchman dragging me twisted and fell to the ground, taking me with him. I screamed as I hit the hard concrete. Yet another incident that was sure to leave a bruise. Thankfully, I didn't hit my head.

A man roughly six foot with a slightly receding hairline and kind eyes appeared next to me. He looked concerned, which was a change from how I'd been treated the last couple days.

He did a once-over of my dress and the man's hand now limply hanging by my side and raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

My mouth moved but no sound came out. Maybe I was going into shock. That sounded like a thing, right? Yeah. Shock. I was going into shock over all this trauma.

"I need you to come with me," he insisted, offering a hand.

I eyed it and glanced back at the fight. The guy in the flag was down again, but he bounced back quickly. I returned my gaze to the kind man's hand. I didn't even know who he was.

He nodded encouragingly. "You see the guy fighting this creep? I'm with him."

"You're not on Loki's side?"

"No," a confused look passed over his face but he quickly pushed it away.

Oh, what the heck. It couldn't hurt any more than what I'd already been through and he seemed trustworthy enough. I clapped my hand into his and he immediately grasped it tightly and pulled me to my feet. At the same time, Shoot to Thrill began to blare over a speaker. Hey, when had that plane gotten here?

A streak of red and gold swerved around the plane and landed over by Loki, guns blazing. Finally, someone I recognized. Tony Stark slash Iron Man had been all over the news recently. I breathed easier as the agent guy escorted me quickly toward the plane's designated landing spot.

"Make your move, Reindeer Games!"

I turned to see what was going on at the sound of Iron Man's voice, and Loki made eye contact with me. No. No! NO! I saw the momentary sick smile on his face, and then he held up his hands in surrender. Oh, this could not be good. Not good at all. What was his demented obsession with me anyway? He tilted his head to the side, sending me a silent message that he was still in control of me.

That was when I passed out again.


	5. The Black Forest Debacle

Okay. I really had to stop passing out at important moments. Given, the first time was not my fault, but the second time was. I thought. Unless Loki had done his "go-to-sleep-now" trick on me again. Which was a complete possibility. Ugh! That insensitive jerk!

I groaned as I came to and put a hand to my head thinking maybe it would restore my equilibrium. This was not where I had passed out. This was... completely different. A long glass pane perched in front of me. Oh, hey, that was a window. And outside was sky. Lots of dark, open sky. Puzzle pieces slowly fit together. This was an airplane. I was flying. Great! One question answered.

I rolled my head to the side and saw the same man who had helped me off the street in Stuttgart. He leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on his knees, intertwining his fingers. I couldn't tell if the look of concern was on my behalf or someone else's. "How did you know his name?" he asked.

"What?"

"How. Did. You. Know. His. Name?" Each syllable punctuated by a move of his head.

I scoffed and stretched my stiff neck. "Who did you say you were again?"

"I didn't."

"That's what I thought. So, here's what's going to happen. You are going to tell me who you are and then, if I find your answer satisfactory, I will tell you how I know things."

He studied me for a minute, like he was unsure if I was bluffing or completely serious. "My name is Agent Phil Coulson and I'm a member of Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."

"That's a mouthful."

"SHIELD for short."

That was a lot to swallow in a matter of seconds, so I took the time to think it through. It sounded legit and exactly like something the government would come up with. He had tried to get me away from Loki, so he couldn't be all bad. "He's been keeping me close for a few days now."

Coulson raised an eyebrow. "_How _close?"

"Not like that," I was quick to interject. "He said he never knew when a hostage would be necessary, or something like that."

"He doesn't seem like one to take hostages," Coulson said dubiously.

I rolled my eyes. What would it take to convince this guy? There was _no way _that you would turn to Loki's side. He frightened me beyond belief. I couldn't stand him and he kept bruising my arm, so Coulson could suck it up and get it into his thick skull that I would never do any of the things he was suggesting.

"Copy that," Coulson said to no one in particular.

I perked up and glanced around. There was no one else in the plane but the pilot. "What are you copying?"

"Just an update on our location," Coulson smiled. "Don't worry, Loki's in chains and Iron Man and Captain America are close at hand if he tries anythingg."

"Originally, were we supposed to be on the plane with them?" I asked. Pretty sure it was a rhetorical question, as I only remembered one plane in the vicinity at the time.

Coulson looked out the front windows, and I followed his gaze to see another plane just ahead of us. "Yeah. We thought it better to keep you separate. Just in case, and all that."

A bolt of lightning flashed outside and I cringed and curled into myself.

"Calm down," Coulson instructed, "it's just a st-"

BANG!

Even with the distance, the noise was very clear. I couldn't be sure, but I was pretty sure that was a guy on top of the other plane. Words did not come fast enough. My mouth moved without uttering a sound, and my mind whirled into overtime. What the heck was going on?

Not long after, someone dove out of the plane and I was positive he took Loki with him. Iron Man followed in short order.

"NO!" I screamed, lunging toward the window and pressing my hand hard against it. "Get him back. Please, don't let him get away! Do you know what he'll do to me if he gets away?" I was crying now, and more upset than I cared to let on.

"Hey," Coulson placed his hands on my cheeks and forced me to look at him. "What's your name?"

"Tessa," I answered without hesitation. Nerves did that to me. Made me too chatty.

Coulson smiled. "Okay. Tessa, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down. It's all going to be okay. Got it? Take a deep breath. You're going to be fine. We won't let him get to you again. I promise."

"You don't know him!" I whined. "He won't stop. Not until he gets what he wants."

Coulson's eyes moved to the bruise on my arm and he furrowed his brow with concern. "Tessa, did he do that to you? Is that his handprint on your arm?"

I nodded, the sobs starting to choke me.

"He's a monster," Coulson sympathized. "Why'd he hurt you?"

"I didn't... didn't want to do what he asked. So... so he grabbed me and dragged me and..." I broke down again, this time dropping my head into my hands. This was the worst night of my life. I was so going to die. If not tonight, then soon.

Coulson gave me some space. "Copy," he said into his earpiece.

"What?" I asked. "What's going on."

"Mr. Stark went after him. We expect to have him back within a few minutes, but we're landing to pick them up. We don't want to leave anyone without backup."

I understood where he was coming from, but I also wanted to get as far away from Loki as I possibly could, as quickly as possible. So, those words sent me into another fit of hysteria. I was sure I looked like a raccoon by now if I had any mascara left from the past few days. This was so not ideal.

I felt the downward spiral o the plane in the pit of my stomach and closed my eyes to stop another panic attack. This would work out. It would all end up okay. I needed to get better at lying to myself.

"Wait here," Coulson instructed. "There's been a complication. I'll come back."

"Oh, heck no!" I was on my feet and by Coulson's side in an instant. "If you think I'm going to sit here alone while you're out there looking for a diabolical kidnapper, you are a lunatic. I am not staying alone. What if he finds me before you find him? What then, huh?"

Coulson eyed me, up and down, taking in the green gown and my disheveled appearance. His eyes stopped at the bruise on my arm. "Yeah, you're right. Stay close."

There were no words to describe the depth of my relief. He might as well have told me that Justin Bieber had been deported. That was how thrilled I was. So I listened, and I listened well, never straying more than a foot from his side. He pulled some sort of gun at one point and kept it pointed toward the ground as we walked along some mountain ridge.

After a few minutes, though, the heels started to kill. So I stopped and leaned against the rock face.

"You okay?" Coulson asked, backtracking to make sure. He laid his fingertips gently on my shoulder, his eyes piercing mine.

I nodded. "Yeah. My feet hurt. I'm going to attempt to get these off."

"Okay," he replied absentmindedly. He squinted and gripped the gun tighter. "I hear something around the next bend. Stay here, let me check it out. Do. Not. Move."

"Duh!" He didn't have to tell me twice.

He nodded and moved out of sight. I tried not to freak out too much, choosing instead to focus on the stupid gold straps still stuck to my feet. Mister Magic hadn't made it very easy to undo the buckle holding them on. Probably on purpose. Ugh, even when he was gone he was frustrating. I shivered at the thought of it.

"Why are you tormenting the poor girl?"

I stopped, halfway through unbuckling the second shoe, and honed in on Coulson's enraged tone, coming from up around the bend. He must have found Loki, after all. Good. At least now I didn't have to worry about that.

Loki's laugh, low and menacing, floated to my ears as the second shoe finally came undone. "Because she resists."

"Really?" Coulson asked, and it sounded sarcastic.

"So many mortals are so weak. So eager to kneel. This woman is not one of them. She refuses to bow to my dominion, and that is why I must have her."

I rolled my eyes. Great. So my defiance – a genetic trait I couldn't possibly get rid of – was the one thing he obsessed over. That was just... dandy. He better not escape again, because he'd probably kill me if he did. That was not something I wanted to see.

I was just about to go confront him when a giant BOOM resounded across the landscape. I cowered back against a rock and watched the wave of catastrophe expand from a central point in the forest below.

"Agent Romanoff, watch him," Coulson demanded. Seconds later, he appeared at my side. "You okay?"

I nodded dumbly, unsure what had just happened.

Coulson immediately spoke into his radio. "Sir, we may need backup. We have a bit of a... _situation _in the Black Forest."


	6. A Grand Entrance

After a few phone calls to unnamed German officials, Coulson made quick work of getting me out of there. I was on a plane and in the air without ever catching a glimpse of Loki. And I was better for it. That idiot would only mess with my head again.

It was late – really late – by the time we landed, and I wasn't prepared for the location we ended up at. It wasn't really a place at all. In fact, all I could see ahead of me were planes and sky. Dark, starlit sky.

"Where are we?" I asked, completely confounded by the scenery.

Coulson offered his hand to help me out of the seat and the pilot lowered the back hatch. It took me a minute to remember I could trust him, but when I did I easily slid my hand into Coulson's. It reminded me a lot of my dad, and I realized I really missed him. Maybe I should have phone home more often.

He didn't let go of my hand until I had made it through a thick metal door. I slumped against the wall, unsure why it had been so difficult to breathe out there.

"Catch your breath," Coulson demanded, raising a hand when I tried to stand straight and move on.

I dropped back against the wall and pressed a hand to my chest. "How come... this isn't... affecting you?"

"I'm used to it. Been up here for over a week now. Cheer up, you'll get there."

Up here? What was this place? Why was he being so cryptic about it? I couldn't imagine why he wouldn't let you in on the secret. Or how we had gotten here so fast from Germany. Or why I had even been brought here in the first place. All I wanted was to go home.

"Where are we?" I repeated.

Coulson smiled and leaned against the opposite wall in the small hallway. "We call it a helicarrier."

"What does that mean?"

"It means we're a few thousand feet above the ground." He grinned wider. "You don't get seasick, do you?"

"No." Breathing finally became less of a chore, and I straightened. I had to hold the skirt up off the ground, as it was too long without the heels. "Why does that matter?"

"You'd have a really bumpy ride if you were." He pushed off the wall and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Ready to go?"

I nodded. "Where are we going?"

"You're really curious." Coulson sighed, then shrugged. "They want a word."

Great. Another cryptic clue. Who were "they"? He couldn't mean... Oh no. No. This wasn't happening. He was _not _taking me into a room full of superhumans. He wouldn't. Not with me dressed like this, in this humiliating situation. They would eat me alive.

Of course, none of that ever made it out of my mouth. It came out as more of a squeak.

"I won't leave your side," Coulson promised.

Oh good. Because I really needed the moral support. I was tired and hungry and very, very irritable. Seriously, I felt like I could implode at any moment. If they said one wrong word... well, I didn't want to think about what might happen.

The two of us pushed through one last door and tunnel of a hallway greeted us. Up ahead, I could see a mass of people running a humming circus of computers. Probably keeping whatever this was in the sky. And, I couldn't see them, but I knew the supers were in there too.

Coulson rested his hand reassuringly on my arm and nodded once before we stepped into the light. And, sure enough, a plethora of abnormally dressed humanoids sat and stood around a round table. Because that wasn't intimidating. I shuddered at the thought of actually having to talk to them.

The only girl there pushed off from the wall and gave a smile I didn't like. "Gentlemen," she said loudly, " I believe Miz Tessa Churchill has finally graced us with her presence."

Every eye turned to me.


	7. A Glass Cage and a Meeting

**Sorry for the delayed post. This chapter was surprisingly difficult to write... and I got a bit distracted by the Age of Ultron movie... buuut, I'm back now! And back on schedule. Enjoy!**

* * *

"You're Tessa?" the spangly guy asked, his fist pointed in midair as though he had been about to rest his hand against it.

I nodded and wrapped my arms tight around myself. Words eluded me, not a normal occurrence. I had to look hideous, what with no makeup and the too long (and probably torn) dress pooling around my feet. Thankfully, Coulson believed my story.

"Yes, sir," Coulson said, touching his hand to his ear. He tapped my shoulder and disappeared through the tunnel. So much for that moral support he had been offering.

"You doing okay?" Again, the spangly guy. It was like the others didn't want to talk to me. The crazy medieval-looking blondie just stood in the corner and stared into space. Cree-py!

The woman turned to a screen mounted from the ceiling and nodded. "He's secured." The monitor flickered to life.

I took a timid step forward, focused intently on the screen. Loki stood in a circular glass cage, and the door was just sliding shut. Strangely, he didn't look flustered. But, then, nothing seemed to fluster him. Nothing.

Another man, one I hadn't seen before but he looked pretty scary, walked to a control panel and studied the buttons. "In case it's unclear. You try to escape. You so much as scratch that glass..."

He depressed a button and giant empty hole, swirling with rushing air, opened beneath the cage. Not a bad idea. I should have thrown Loki into a whirlpool. Because _everyone _had access to a whirlpool. Who were these people? I rolled my eyes.

"Thirty thousand feet, straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?!" He pointed to Loki, "Ant..." to the button which had also now closed off the hatch, "boot."

Okay, yep. I was totally out of the loop. That felt a lot like an inside joke, only neither of them were joking. The first guy looked dead serious, not that I was complaining. Loki just smirked. Like that was all he was capable of doing. Smirking. I sneered at him, even though I knew he couldn't see me. Mostly _because_ I knew he couldn't see me.

Loki remained relaxed. "It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me."

"Built for something a lot stronger than you."

Which was a feat in itself. Obviously, none of these people had been on the receiving end of Loki's iron grip. If there was someone stronger than he was, I didn't want to meet them. Ever. I absentmindedly rubbed at the bruise on my arm. Would it ever go away?

For a moment, I watched the others in the room. The spangly fella's fist hadn't gotten any lower, and the second, smart-looking guy couldn't tear his eyes from the screen. I shrugged. At least they weren't noticing me anymore. I shuffled to a corner and stayed there.

"The mindless beast, makes play he's still a man," Loki continued, and the smart guy tensed. Weird. "How desperate are you, that you call upon such lost creatures to defend you?"

"How desperate am I? You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill 'cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did."

What force? And war? He was trying to start world war three? Who did that? And who had he killed, other than the guy at the museum, that had gotten these people so bent out of shape? I had to be missing something big. And my wonderments kind of forced me to miss everything else they said. I came to as the monitor clicked off.

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" The smart guy. Oh, great, another sarcastic person. That was just what I needed in this situation. I could out-sarcasm all of them. If they were supposed to be some kind of heroic group, they needed to cut the crap and get to work.

The spangly guy talked again. Born leader, wasn't he? "Loki's gonna drag this out. So, Thor, what's his play?"

Finally, someone got down to brass tacks. And, hey, now I had a name for the crazy big medieval guy. Hadn't I made some reference to medieval attire with Loki? Oh no. Was this guy from the same place?

All I caught in the following explanation was "an army from outer space". This day could not get any worse.

"Have care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he is my brother."

"He killed eighty people in two days."

"He's adopted."

And, it just got worse. How was I supposed to convince this crazy alien hunk of flesh that his brother – albeit adopted – was a crazy, psychopathic idiot? If I could get it out of my mouth with that much passion, maybe those would be the perfect words.

"...iridium for?"

"It's a stabilizing agent."

I knew that voice. Tony Stark, and look! Coulson returned behind him. After leaving me absolutely alone to be completely confused by the guys and girl around me. Coward.

Stark banged the back of his hand against Thor's enormous bicep. "No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing."

So that was who he had been fighting in the Black Forest. Just another reason to avoid him.

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?"

"He's got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier."

"Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunnel effect."

"Well, if he could do that he could achieve Heavy Iion Fusion at any reactor on the planet."

"Finally, someone who speaks English."

"Is that what just happened?"

I pointed to the one who'd asked and nodded. "Great question. 'Cause I didn't catch any of that." Bad choice. One more time, I drew all the attention to myself.

Stark smirked and shook hands with the smart guy. "Good to meet you, Dr. Banner. You're work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

"Rage monster?" I squeaked. Just when I thought it wasn't possible for the day to get worse. It shouldn't have been possible. Why had I gone and gotten myself kidnapped?

"Let's start with that stick of his. It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon."

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."

Thor, finally back with the group on things, looked really confused. "Monkeys? I do not understand."

"I do! I understood that reference."

"Well, hooray for you, Star-spangled Hero." I stepped from the wall, tired of being treated like day-old bread. "You wanna know what that staff is like? You caught the right girl."

Spangly guy stuttered, "My—my name is... is Steven Rogers."

Coulson coughed to cover a laugh. Most of the others just looked confused.

Mr. Stark smiled and pointed to me. "I like her. Who is she?"

"He's the only one who doesn't know, isn't he?" I glared at Coulson.

He shrugged. "Hadn't had time to tell him yet. And, in my defense, Thor doesn't know either."

I shot up a hand to silence him. I was tired and not in the mood for games. Defiantly, I stepped forward and lifted my chin. "My name is Tessa Churchill, and I've been Loki's prisoner for three. Long. Days."


	8. Explaining Fear

"Loki doesn't strike me as the type to take prisoners," Mr. Stark said, folding his arms. "He's more of the psychotic, kill-everything-in-my-path kind of person."

"Look, I'm not going to argue that point." Mostly because I was pretty sure it was true. "All I'm saying it, I was out taking pictures and this guy with an arrow and blue eyes-"

"Barton?" The woman shot across the room. She probably would have lunged at my throat, but Steve stood and put out an arm to stop her advance. "What do you know about Barton?"

Well, that was unexpected. And, for Pete's sake, did I just have a sign on my forehead that read "come at me, bro. I love a good fight"? If people wouldn't be so defensive about everything, maybe I could make some sense of what was going on. As it was, I really didn't want another fight. "I didn't realize... I mean, I didn't know you knew him."

Tony turned to walk back toward the computers and shot the woman a glance. He shook his head slightly.

She relaxed and backed up from Steve's restraining arm. "He's a friend."

"I'm sorry." I looked to the floor, well aware that Barton was under the major influence of Loki's brainwashing. Without really thinking about it, I put a hand over my heart where the tip of the staff had settled. I wouldn't wish that fate on anyone.

Thor broke from his stance by the railing, pushed past Steve and the woman, and reached out for my wrist. I shrank back. What if he was more like his brother than he let on? What if Loki had long ago brainwashed him? Anything was possible, and his eyes were ridiculously blue.

"I will not harm you," he promised, and reached for my wrist again. He gently pulled my arm until it was outstretched, and settled a rather giant finger under the bruise. "Loki did this to you?"

I nodded. Compared to Thor, I felt like an ant. He was tall, broad, and if he ever decided to become a rock star, I doubted he'd be short on stage presence. And, come on, his arms were the size of both my calves put together.

His jaw tightened and flexed, and he didn't let go of my wrist. "Why?"

"Because he could," I admitted. "Because I begged him to let me go. Because I think he thought it was fun." My eyes met Thor's, and I could see the hurt seeping through. Eyes were the windows to the soul, or that's what my mom had always said. If she was right, then Thor's soul was ripping in two. I knew what that kind of betrayal felt like. "I'm sorry."

"Do not apologize," he instructed. "Loki hurt you, and he should be punished for such actions. Where we are from, it is unheard of for a man – especially one of high birth – to assault a lady thusly. He knew better than to do so. If anything, I should apologize for his actions."

"As touching as this moment is," Mr. Stark interrupted, "I think we have other matters to discuss."

"Such as?" Thor spat, turning his head slightly to shoot the words over his shoulder.

"Such as little miss sarcasm here said she knew what cow-man did to Agent Barton."

"I said I could explain the staff." I tossed him a look that dared him to defy me. It had been a very long day, and no way was I going to let a multi-billionaire push me around.

He motioned to me and folded his arms over his chest in an over-exaggerated kind of way. "Then explain away, mini-me."

Oh no, he had not. He had _not_ just called me that. I was not a miniature of him. Not even close. I didn't have a suit, I wasn't a rich snob, and I didn't have any semblance of the major narcissistic personality disorder he obviously suffered from. "You could at least ask nicely."

"Ms. Churchill," Steve spoke up, "you very well could be our only way to get Barton back. Please tell us what you know."

I sighed as Thor finally released my wrist, and then I hiked up my skirt to march toward the table. "He's controlling their minds."

"How's he doing that?" the woman asked.

"You saw the film, Agent Romanoff," the scary guy finally spoke. I had kinda forgotten he was in the room there for a minute. And, hey, now I knew the woman's name. Yay. "He used the scepter."

"How does it work?" Banner asked, kindly.

I smiled in his direction. Finally, someone treated me like a human. "I don't know, but it's scary. They remember what he wants them to and forget everything else. And they can't fight him."

Thor took a step toward me and if I didn't know better, I would have said that the stance he took was protective. "How do you know this?"

I shook my head and willed the tears to back off. I was tired of crying for no apparent reason. This was all ludicrous. I shouldn't even be here. Why was I crying about something completely out of my control?

"He used that thing on you?" Steve motioned to the monitor frantically, and his voice rose an octave or two.

"He tried to," I confirmed. "I begged him not to do that. Said I'd do anything, just don't take my mind." A pause, and I lowered my voice. "He wouldn't like what he found there, anyway."

"Look, she's tired and she's had a long day," Coulson spoke up. "She'll still be here in the morning. Let her get some rest."

"I agree," the scary guy nodded once. "Agent Romanoff, would you and Agent Hill find Tessa something suitable to wear and get her to her own room? Stark, Banner..."

Tony smiled and tossed a look to Dr. Banner. "Let's go play some." They skedaddled.

I tried not to frown as Romanoff and another, brunette woman walked beside me through the tunnel. This night had been longer than expected, but maybe I could actually get some rest. At least Loki was incapacitated. I smiled despite myself.


	9. Heartfelt Conversation

So, the bedrooms were... a little... fine. Be honest. They were tiny. And I was pretty sure I had spotted some straps attached to the bedframe. Which, you know, was only super creepy. You could barely turn around in the bathroom (but I was thankful there was a bathroom), and the door locked from the outside. It was like these people didn't trust me.

Agent Romanoff had left me a grey tank top, a pair of sweats, and a S.H.I.E.L.D jacket. If nothing else, at least I would be comfortable. Maybe I could talk one of the women into lending me some makeup so I could look alive again.

I had slept for a solid two hours once they dropped me off here, but now I was wide awake and thoroughly agitated. Something felt wrong about this whole ting. Terribly, terribly wrong. Maybe it was just my paranoia, or maybe I needed to ask Thor what his brother was really like.

I sprang from the mattress, fixed my disheveled hair, and reached for the doorknob.

The door sprang open and Natasha raised an eyebrow at me. "Going somewhere?"

"I thought maybe I could talk to Thor. Work through some serious PTSD issues I'm having with his brother." I shrugged. That had sounded way more everyday than I had meant for it to sound.

Agent Romanoff shrugged back at me. "Come on, then. I have places to be in five minutes."

I didn't even ask. I did not want to know what she did in her spare time. Not only was she gorgeous, but she flew planes. And she could kick butt. I hadn't seen her in action, but something told me not to make her mad. Ever.

She led me down hallways and more hallways (as if all these hallways should be able to fit on a giant air ship) and finally through the stadium tunnel I recognized from earlier. Thor stood pensively gazing out over the techs and agents assigned to flying the ship. I really didn't want to interrupt him, but Agent Romanoff nudged me forward.

I tentatively inched closer, until I was standing directly next to him.

He smiled at me, but it barely reached his eyes. "Lady Tessa, I was not expecting you. Did you rest well?"

"As well as can be expected, given the circumstances." I winced at the tone in my voice. "I'm sorry. That was really, really insensitive."

"You are right to be angry," Thor said forcefully. "He has not treated you as he should. The brother I knew would not disrespect a lady so."

"Yeah." I looked away, ashamed to say anything to this alien intruder.

Thor reached to take my hand in his and held it firmly. "You did not come here to apologize. What is it you desire, fair maiden? What draws you from your slumber?"

"Couldn't sleep," I admitted. "I keep having this recurring nightmare where Loki puts that spear to my chest," my hand flew to the spot where it had landed, "and it just goes straight through. He rips out my heart and I sit there, subdued not dead. Um, my eyes turn blue. Bright blue, like Barton's. And then... then I wake up," I lied. The dream continued from there, with Loki getting everything he wanted and more from me. I couldn't tell his brother that.

"It is I who should apologize," Thor reiterated his sentiments from earlier. "Had I known Loki was alive, I would have come for him long ago. He would never have had the chance to hurt you."

"I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep again." I swiped at a tear that fell from the corner of my eye.

Thor pulled me close and almost suffocated me in a hug. "He will not hurt you again, Tessa. I will see to it that you are kept safe, by my side, until Loki can be taken back to Asgard for punishment."

"Safe?" I pushed away slightly, forcing Thor to relax his death grip on me. "He's in a cage! How am I not safe?"

"He is still in here, is he not?" Thor put a single finger to my temple. "He still haunts your dreams. If this nightmare occurs again, I will be there to soothe the aftereffects. To ensure your safety from even the most dire of mental trauma. Do not hesitate to call on me."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Thor stepped back and released me entirely. "Anything."

"You keep referring to the 'brother you knew'. Was he different, when you knew him?"

"Much," Thor confirmed. "A trickster, still, but he cared for others. He saw to the well-being of his friends. He was gentler and kinder and much more suited to be king. More suited than I, at the time. Now I fear he has lost all chance."

"You guys are princes?" I could hardly hold back my surprise. "Alien princes?"

Thor chuckled. "I suppose, if that is what you would call us."

I rubbed at my forehead. This was not my week. Alien princes. How would I ever wrap my brain around that little tidbit? I could still hardly believe an alien had kidnapped me. They both looked so human. This had to be the weirdest rendition of Invasion of the Body-Snatchers that I had ever had the displeasure of being a part of. Halloween would never be the same after this. Never.

On impulse, I sprang forward and hugged Thor right back. "Thanks for understanding. With the nightmare and all."

"My lady, it is my pleasure to serve you as my brother has not. I wish to right all wrongs he has done against you."

"Just make sure he stays in that cage, okay?"

Thor paused, as though he had not thought his brother could possibly escape. Then he petted my hair. "I swear it."

I backed away first this time, and seated myself at a swively chair at the table. No way were they going to lock me in my room again. Besides, Thor had totally said I could hang with him. Sweetness. He made me feel safe in the same way that Loki made me feel unsafe. Uncanny how brothers could be complete opposites.

Coulson appeared and walked Thor's way, which didn't surprise me. They seemed to know each other from somewhere. I felt like I had missed a news day or something. Had Thor been to Earth before? Once again, my curiosity had kinda tuned out the beginning of their conversation.

"We pretend on Asgard that we're more advanced," Thor was saying, as he walked down a set of stairs, "but we come here battling like... Bilchsteim."

I stood to sneak around behind them. Hopefully they wouldn't mind, but this conversation was going in an interesting direction. I was bored and had nothing else to do. Solution: sneaking around.

Coulson seemed confused. "Like what?"

"Bilchsteim," Thor repeated. "Huge, scaly, big antlers?" He used his hands to demonstrate. "You don't have those here."

"Don't think so," Coulson shook his head and looked at Thor like he was an alien. Oh, wait. He was.

Thor shook his head. "They are repulsive, and they trample everything in their path." He stared out a giant window. I had to admit, the night sky was cool from this altitude. "When I first came to Earth, Loki's rage followed me here and your people paid the price. And now again. In my youth I courted war—"

"War hasn't started yet."

I ducked under the stairs, out of sight. Eye patch man frightened me more than I was willing to admit. I'd just stay there until Thor saw me. Or Coulson. Anyone but Patchy.

"You think you can make Loki tell us where the Tesseract is?"

"I do not know," Thor said sadly. "Loki's mind is far afield. It's not just power he craves, it is vengeance upon me. There's no pain that would prize his need from him."

"A lot of guys think that, until the pain starts."

Ooh, were we talking torture? Because I was all for torturing the guy who had tortured me. I wondered if there was any way to get in on the action. Would they let me wield a cattle prod or something? That might alleviate the nightmares.

Thor paused to think for the second time. "Loki is a prisoner."

"Then why do I feel like he's the only person on this boat that wants to be here?"

One point, Patchy. Maybe that's what had felt off all night. That Loki had given up so easily. That he had allowed himself to be captured, cuffed, and led through the corridors like some trophy. Something was definitely up, and I intended to find out what it was. One way or the other. Now, where did they keep those cattle prods?


	10. Helicarrier Attack

The cattle prod idea hadn't worked out. The instant the scary guy had seen me, he sent me back to my room. Not my favorite place. Thor had escorted me, expounding on why Loki was how he was and how he had thought him dead. More wonderful, psychotic things I had just been _longing_ to hear.

There hadn't been much to do after that except sleep, so I had. But now it was morning, and I was pretty sure something had woken me up. Something felt different. Wrong.

I jumped off the cot and ran to the door. Locked. Or was it? On a whim, I searched through the single drawer and came up with a bobby pin. Might take some time, but lock-picking wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibilities. I knelt by the doorknob to attempt such a feat.

Turned out, picking locks wasn't as hard as I had expected. A minute or two later, the door was open and the entirety of the ship was mine to explore. I was careful not to shut the door all the way behind me. Just in case I had to run back really quick. I smiled and stepped forward.

An animalistic roar reverberated through the ship's framework. I wasn't sure on details, but it sounded like a rage monster to me. So I did the one thing any sensible person would have done. I ran in a random direction.

Why was the entire ship shaking? Why would one of the good guys suddenly turn evil? Unless...

No. No, no, no, no, no! No, this was not happening. I was safe. They rescued me and I was safe. No way was he escaping, not with all the super people on board!

BAM! I ran headlong into something tall and rock solid. I looked up from the floor to see Thor standing there, very confused and with some sort of giant hammer in one hand. He reached a hand to help me up.

"You should not be here," he said solemnly.

I grabbed his hand and pulled myself up. That's when the hitting began. Me. Hitting Thor. Kinda ridiculous, but that's what I did. Pounded my fists into his arms and abdomen, screaming.

"You promised I was safe. You promised he wouldn't get away!" Anger had, sadly, always made me cry hot tears. This time was no different. "You promised, Thor! Said he wouldn't hurt me again. Said that you'd protect me. So where is he now, huh? Where is he?" My entire emotional structure crumbled. Sobs wracked my body.

Thor reached for me and held me close. "I did promise those things, Tessa. You are right to be angry. And you are right to assume this is Loki's doing."

"I just... want my life back."

"I understand. But, return to your room. I will come back for you, but I must help the others. I cannot assure your safety in the line of battle." He looked so concerned that I found myself agreeing to it. Thor looked once more into my eyes, probably making sure I was telling the truth, and dashed off.

There was only one problem with promising him I would return to my room. I wasn't sure where it had gone. So, instead, I turned around and started searching every corridor I came to. This ship had too many hallways.

Gym, equipment room, storage floor. Nothing looked remotely like my room. This is what I got for running without thinking about where I was going. I shut the door to the storage room and turned for the next door.

Cue sharp intake of air.

Barton, holding a bow in one hand, grabbed me around the waist with the other arm and dragged me with him down the hall.

"You're s'posed... to be... one of... the good guys!" I shot at him through gritted teeth as I kicked and struggled to get away from him.

He released me long enough for two other goons to grab a hold of me. One on either side. Was it just me, or did they take special care not to crush the bruise shaped like Loki's handprint?

"Get her to the plane," Barton commanded. "Smith and Carnegie?"

"On their way to Detention, sir."

I spun and kicked, trying to pull my arms from their grasp, but nothing was working. The men began to drag me through more corridors and toward a familiar door. The same one Coulson had brought me through the night before. Why couldn't Loki just leave me alone?! These people were all idiots and so help me they would pay for this!

I hardly managed to slow them down as they kept moving across the tarmac. My muscles throbbed and if I had to through my weight one more time I might lose my balance and literally be dragged.

As we made it to the plane ramp, one desperate idea ran through my head. I sped up, pulling hard against their hands and causing both of them to stumble to keep hold of me. Up the ramp, drop, spin, lay flat. They both lost their grip.

With little time to spare, I jumped off the ramp and took off for the door I'd come through. Unfortunately, they were faster. One caught me around the waist and held me close. The other approached with a few lengths of rope.

Oh, heck, no! I kicked as hard as I could, alternating feet and ensuring he couldn't get a firm grip to tie me up. I was not going into this as a helpless, tied-up person!

Something clacked, and the ship began to spin. I screamed and for a moment forgot to fight. It was all the goon needed to slap an already-made noose around my ankles and pull tight. He kept wrapping and tying until I was sure he would cut off my circulation. Then he held tightly and the two carried me up the ramp and into the plane.

The helicarrier kept spinning, and falling. That was definitely a plunging feeling I had gotten in the pit of my stomach. What was going on? Where was everyone? Was that an explosion I just heard, somewhere in the sky? Like a plane had burst or something.

Oh, who cared? The first goon finally released my waist enough to push me back into a seat. I lunged forward, but he grabbed a wrist and handcuffed it to a bar in the ceiling above me. The second goon secured my tied feet to a similar bar below the seat, and when I tried to scratch his eyes out for doing so they handcuffed that hand above me too. Then they took their seats in the pilot and co-pilot chairs, respectively.

I screamed, more in frustration than pain, and let the tears fall again. Who knew one person could have so much liquid in their body?

When I was finally spent, I dropped my head and let my hair hide my face. Why did I have to be a wimp? Why couldn't I be awesome like one the supers in there? And why had I assumed Loki wouldn't send someone after me?

Boots on metal, and then I heard a mechanical sound as the plane lifted. Cautiously, I turned my head slightly to see who was there, letting my hair still cover most of it.

Loki looked away from the closing ramp, to the ground, and then to me. He smirked. "Hello again, darling."


	11. Stolen vs Saved

"Don't even dare!" I screamed at him, pulling once more against my restraints. "I am not your darling. Not even close. I've had a rough couple of days and I'm totally ready to murder someone for all of this. So don't go there."

"Are you so cross with me?" He stood, staff still in hand, and easily crossed until he stood over me.

Much as I wanted to stand up to decrease the distance between the two of us, I was positive my feet were secured too tightly to be of any use. So I glared at him. "What was your first clue?"

"Well, I had notice the anger in your voice. On your face." He reached a hand forward to twirl my hair. I, of course, jerked my head aside. He smirked. "I do not see why you hate me so, darling. I've given you the adventure you've always longed for. The attention you crave."

I stared at him, disbelieving. "No." I squinted my eyes. "How did you even come to that conclusion? That is so _not _what's going on here!"

He toyed with my hair again, this time not releasing it when I tugged my head aside. That ended up really hurting. A lot. I winced. Loki didn't seem to notice my pain, or he just didn't care. He studied the strand wrapped around his fingertips. "Then what, pray tell, is _going on here_."

"You abducted me!" I screamed at him, not even caring that the pilot could totally hear me right now. "You took me away from everything I know and you threatened to kill me. Then you decided to use me as a pawn in this stupid game of yours, for no other reason except to torture me mentally and physically! And now you have some sort of weird obsession with me that has resulting in you once again kidnapping me and flying me away from the only people in the world who can help me. You've... you've stolen me!"

"Wrong," Loki sing-songed. He ran my hair between his fingers and finally let it go.

I looked away. He sickened me. I never wanted to see his stupid face again. I'd rather go blind. My curiosity was killing me, considering I was pretty sure I was right not "wrong" like Loki had said. But, I wouldn't do him the honor of asking. I rolled my eyes.

That iron grip of his tightened around my jaw, and he spun my head to look at him again. "I haven't stolen you," he clarified. "I am saving you."

I really wasn't sure how his twisted mind worked, but this had to be the biggest deception I had ever heard. Where was he even getting that idea? Talk about psychologically demented. I tightened my jaw.

"You should thank me for sparing you from the horrors to come."

Man! Why did this guy know how to get my attention and keep it? He didn't play fair, not that I expected him to. So I huffed and asked the obvious question, sounding more than a little perturbed about it. "What 'horrors'?"

He shook his head and released my jaw, then stood back and studied me.

"Well?" I asked. "Spill it. How have you 'saved' me?"

He just smirked and ran a thumb up and down the side of the staff, as though he was considering using it again. Hopefully not on me, because that would just be freaky.

The complete hopelessness of my situation finally dawned on me, and I glanced to the ground submissively. Maybe playing along would make him talk. "What are you going to do with me?" I chanced a look back up at him.

He lifted his chin. "When I am king of your pathetic little realm, I will need someone to entertain me. A queen to fill my time. You will do as well as any other. Better, perhaps, because of your strong will that will be made to bend to mine."

Queen? Hang on, I had never signed on for this! When had I gone from opportunistic prisoner to queen? Pretty sure I knew what he meant by that, and no way was he gonna get any of that from me. If he thought he could make me see things his way, he was so incredibly wrong that it hurt.

I managed the courage to lift my eyes to meet his again. "I will _never _be your queen, you narcissistic, chauvinist excuse for a man!"

"You will be my queen, because you will be grateful I saved you from the destruction to come." He gripped my jaw again, this time glaring down at me as though I had wounded him. "Now, thank me for saving you like a good girl should."

I glared right back. Two could play this game.

"Thank me!" He commanded, his fingers digging into my skin.

Despite my resolve, pain was a great motivator. So I winced, lowered my eyes, and swallowed hard. "Thank you for saving me, Loki."

He leaned down until he was almost nose-to-nose with me. An evil glint lit his eyes. "Good girl. Remember this obedience later, or you will feel worse pain than this."

Oh, boy. More pain. I was not one to endure pain to get what I wanted, and he was obviously beast at dealing it out in droves. As tied up as I was, I wasn't going to get out of here any time soon, either. This was going to be a long journey home, wasn't it?


	12. So Much No

Stark Tower. Go figure. I had known this building was a terrible idea since the first time I laid eyes on it. Too big. Too flashy. Too... Stark. Come on, who put a giant neon night-light in the shape of their name at the top of a skyscraper? Answer: Tony Stark.

And, apparently, one super-evil psychopathic alien prince.

I was sure the Avengers (or what was left of them after the helicarrier disaster) were picking themselves up and dusting themselves off. They'd be around shortly. Right? Oh, I sure hoped I was right this once.

Loki's henchman finished securing my hands to some sort of metal support beam and backed away. At least my legs were free this time. Arrogant snob got near me, I would stop drop and kick. Self-defense 101, thanks to my bestie for that one. I smiled when I thought of the arguments the two of us had gotten in over it. She had won out, as she usually did. And, guess what? It was about to (surprisingly) come in handy.

Loki made sure the man left before he made a move.

I tensed when I realized the two of us were utterly and completely alone in the giant tower. Never a good thing.

He clucked his tongue against his teeth. "_Relax_, darling."

"Again, _not _your darling. Stop calling me that!" I pulled at the restraints, but unfortunately I wasn't the best at getting out of handcuffs.

He chuckled. Okay, officially the worst sound in the universe. Not only was it annoying, but it was also maniacal and unnerving. He took a step toward me, the staff suddenly nowhere to be seen. That was another thing. That chuckle always preceded something sinister. And that glint in his eyes.

Instinct momentarily took over, and I shuffled away from his encroaching presence.

He paused, then folded his hands behind his back. "Sure you are not... _afraid_?" But the same evil glint in his eyes told me that was exactly what he wanted.

And I was, I really was. No telling what he would do to me. I shrank into myself and tried not to whimper. That would only give him more satisfaction than he already had.

"What was the giant noise I heard on the ship?" I asked. Anything to change the subject.

He stepped sideways, beginning a slow circle around me. "An explosion, no doubt."

Wait, explosion? He had brought explosives on board a flying sea-vessel? Where had he kept them? And that hadn't been an explosion. It couldn't have been. It was not a "boom"...

"It sounded more like a roar," I explained lamely.

"Ah, you mean the monster, no doubt." A single loud nod caused his helmet to bob slightly on his head.

I knew it! I had no idea what a rage monster was, but it had definitely sounded like one. I made a mental note to ask one of the supers about this should I make it out of the situation alive. "What about the Avengers? What happened to them? And Coulson. I didn't see Coulson."

"Coulson?" Outright laughter echoed through the large room. "You would attach yourself to their man-slave."

Really? That was what he got from that? That I somehow had "attached myself" to Coulson for reasons unknown? Wait, had he avoided the subject? I felt like he had. So I composed myself, turned my head to follow his circle, and swallowed. "You didn't answer my question."

"You didn't pose one."

I wanted to point out that I had, something about the Avengers. But he finished his circle, moved closer, and twirled his finger through my hair.

I shrugged him off, tearing my hair from his grasp. "What did you do to Coulson?"

"You will address me properly!" His hand flew as if to strike me, but paused midair when I flinched. He dropped it and instead ran a knuckle down my cheek and jawline. "Only then will I answer your query."

Number one problem: I was fairly certain the "right" way to address him was by calling him my king, which I was so not going to claim. He wasn't mine. Nor a king. Problem number two: my stubborn streak. The instant the words left his mouth I knew there was no way on God's green earth that I was going to give in. Problem three: my curiosity got the better of me.

I gritted my teeth and spoke through them. "What did you do to Coulson... _your majesty_?"

"Better." He stroked my hair. Which, in reality, was way distracting. "I ran him through."

"You killed him?!" My anger overflowed at this point and I shook my head to rid it of the feeling of his filthy, blood-stained hands. "What did he ever do to you?"

Loki gripped the back of my hair and tugged. Ow. Not that I would ever admit that to him. I felt my nostrils flare in defiance. He shook his head slightly. "Sent me through a metal wall, for one." He leaned closer to my ear to whisper his next threat, "Never question my methods again. Understood?"

Not able to do much else because of the excruciating pain centered on the back of my head, I nodded to the best of my ability.

"Good." He lowered his lips to my neck.

Heck. No. "Stop it!" I whined in a very unladlylike manner, but he didn't let up. So I kneed him in the groin. Loki retaliated by moving his free arm to pull me so close it was impossible to knee him. Or kick him. So I tried biting him, landing a good one on the closest thing. His neck. (It kind of made me feel like an evil vampire, to be honest.)

He laughed and tightened his grip in my hair. I gasped as I felt several hairs give way under his grasp.

Just when I thought I was going to have to go with this whole sick ordeal, he pulled back with a low growl. He turned his eyes out the window and wrinkled his nose. "Of course he would choose now to interrupt." Loki smiled at me – sicko – and finally released my hair. "I will be back when the war is won."

Yeah. No idea what that meant. Hadn't his brother said something about alien creatures? Ugh! Confusing world I had slipped in to. But, I breathed a silent thank you to whoever had saved my hide. Then set to work on the handcuffs.


	13. The Battle Begins

He had to have magicked the handcuffs. There was just no other explanation. I had tried everything – EVERYTHING! – to get them off, except for using a bobby pin, because I didn't have one. Handcuffs weren't supposed to be so hard to get out of!

I yanked again, this time tugging with every ounce of strength I had left. Nothing budged. My wrists chafed and ached, but nothing budged.

THUMP.

Wait, what was that? I knew for a fact it wasn't a rage monster, but something had hit the floor hard above my head.

"Hello?" I called, not that I really wanted anyone to answer or anything like that. "Hey, is someone there? Are you okay?"

CRASH!

I screamed and dropped to the floor. Instinct took over as I pulled myself tightly against the beam I was (still) handcuffed to and held on for dear life. Something black and denim and more than likely human went sailing down the side of the building. Three seconds later, a flash of red and gold.

Wait... Tony Stark? An Iron Man suit? How long had he been there and _what_ had he been doing, monologuing? He should have gotten me out of this situation by now! One little gadget of his would reduce these stupid handcuffs to dust! I wanted to scream at him, but I was kind of afraid Loki would come back if I did. No telling where he was, as he had probably pushed Tony out of the tower with the rate the guy was falling.

Iron Man flew back up the side of the building, and I had to admit it made me feel a little safer. What happened next, however, didn't.

Something blue glowed through the sky around the tower. A blue I had seen way too many times to not recognize it. Whatever they'd been working on with the scepter, this was the big finale. Streaks of silver filled the sky and filtered through the city. Oh, crap. I _had _heard Thor right. Alien army.

My resolve returned with great fervor and I worked on another angle to get out of the cuffs. Sawing through a steel pole. Yep, folks, that's right. I tried to saw back and forth hard enough and fast enough to melt that baby like butter. Needless to say, it only managed to create a white scuff mark on one side of the pole.

A shadow fell over the city, and for a brief moment I stopped to look again. Some giant, flying centipede descended from on high, crashing buildings without a second thought as it descended. This could not be good. Then, worse happened. More alien soldiers leapt from the side of said flying centipede and latched onto the buildings around them.

One of the flying space creatures crashed through the window and leaped in my direction.

I screamed again and spun until the pole was between it and me. "Please," I begged, though in hindsight I wasn't even sure it understood the idea of begging. "P-p-please don't... don't hurt me. I'm innocent. Please. You really don't want to."

It took a step in my direction and raised its weapon. Some form of spear.

"No!" I cried, trying to hold up my hands to stop it but not succeeding because... well... handcuffs. "I-I'm Loki's," I tried. "Shoot me and he'll be mad. Like, really mad. You really don't want to do this. Please, _please_, don't do this!"

It shrieked – I chose that word because there was no other way to describe the crazy sound it let out of its mouth – and raised the weapon.

I held up my hands, screamed again, and dropped. Just fast enough that the bolt tore through the pole. And the handcuffs. Okay, so maybe this creature wasn't all bad after all. I smiled and, despite having the "cuffs" part still on my wrists, decided making a run for it might be the best move.

The creature lunged at me, and I managed to kick it back across the room with no little effort. I raced for the balcony outside.

Thor and Loki seemed to be duking it out on said balcony. Finally, someone was sufficiently pummeling the guy! Why couldn't Thor have done this in the first place? No one would be in this situation if he had. Ugh. Well, hindsight was 20/20.

Thor keeled over when Loki hit him with something, and my eyes went wide. Hey, why did the nice brother have to take all the beatings? Loki barely looked scathed at this point.

Loki sneered down at the blonde guy. "Sentiment." And then caught sight of me. He grinned. Crap. Not this again.

Thor got up and kicked Loki, which sent him sprawling. Much better. Except he still knew I had escaped the cuffs. I needed to get out of there. Fast. My brain went into overtime.

There had to be dozens of those shrieky things flying around the tower, right? So this plan couldn't be all that crazy. I had a complete sixty-percent chance of survival. Right? Knowing I wouldn't be able to do this if I thought about it much longer, I braced myself, breathed in and then out...

And jumped.

I landed on one of the creatures' backs and almost sent myself sprawling off the carriage, but it grabbed me and pushed me forward against whatever it was that controlled the thing.

I kicked back and sent it sprawling out into midair. "Thank you very much." I took the wheel and looked back just in time to see Loki roll from the balcony. Dang it anyway. Looked like this would take a lot longer than I had anticipated.

And how did I drive this thing, anyway?!


	14. A Grand Finale

I made it around a corner (barely) and had a hard time straightening the alien carriage chariot thing out. A volley of laser fire started at the beginning of the street behind me and came my direction. Appropriately, I responded by shrieking and hunkering down as far as I could. 

More streets, and Loki still followed me like a... a... I didn't even know anymore. A man possessed? Yeah, that description fit him pretty well.

Below me, things exploded. Above me, lightning shot from the sky without a second thought and sent aliens screaming and flying. A roar echoed through the city. A roar I had most definitely heard before. The giant rage monster had arrived. I just hoped he was on the side of the good guys. Which, judging by the dead alien centipede I flew over, seemed like a logical bet.

Thousands more of the creatures came flying from the sky, and I groaned and steered around another corner.

Then, suddenly, Loki's ride was beside me and he grabbed me by the waist. Again, fighting didn't help much. How was he stronger than an alien? Oh, wait. He was an alien. Anyway, one way or another, he dragged me back to Stark Tower with him and dropped me off onto the balcony. Right back where I had started, though thankfully he seemed a little distracted. He flew off, and I raced inside.

An explosion rocked the air near the balcony, and I spun in time to see Loki stand from where he had fallen on the pad outside. Then... oh, so that was what a giant green rage monster looked like! He kicked Loki and...

CRAP!

I dove out of the way as Loki sailed through the only window still intact and landed on the floor by the steps. The monster jumped into the room and started for her.

In one movement, Loki had stood and was now staring down the monster. Ooh. That took guts. I didn't think I'd be able to stare the thing right in the eye without quivering. And Loki was definitely NOT quivering.

"ENOUGH!" Even I cringed at the shouted words. Wait, even the beasty guy stopped when Loki said that. Interesting. "You are, all of you are, beneath me! I am a god, you dull creature and I will not be bullied—"

The monster grabbed him by his ankle and whapped him against the floor half a dozen times. Hard enough to make a trench in the stone – no, no, the _marble_ – floor. He tossed Loki to the side, never noticing me, and headed back out the window with a final announcement of, "Puny god."

Loki let out a sound that was somewhere between a death cry and a pitifully animalistic whimper. If I didn't know how cruel and twisted he could be, I might have found myself feeling sorry for him. Even then, I found my feet propelling me from my hiding place. I crept closer to him. As I neared the end of the trench, he opened his eyes to look at me. I took a step back.

"Come," he begged, beckoning me with a single finger.

"I'll come when you give me back my several hundred dollar camera." I folded my arms and glared down at him. Finally, he couldn't do anything to make me bend to his will. It was empowering. Maybe I should have thought of this a long time ago.

He wheezed again and laid his head back on the floor. "Please." He pressed a hand to his abdomen. Either he was a fantastic actor, or he was in serious pain. For my own safety, and the safety of the world outside, I bet on the first. But, something in my gut said he was actually in pain. Darn compassion! Why'd I have to be a compassionate person?

My resolve began to crack. "Camera first." But, my words didn't sound convincing even to my own ears.

"Tessa," he managed to opened his eyes again and trained the gorgeous green things on me.

Wait. No. No, no, no, no, no! I had not just thought that. No matter if I had always been a sucker for eyes, his were not gorgeous. He had kidnapped me. Tortured me... okay, fine. Maybe his eyes were gorgeous, but I still didn't trust him or like him.

"Please," he said again.

Again, compassion. Could I see the evil in no one? My feet propelled me to his side. But I did not kneel. I was proud of myself for that one. Because, for all intents and purposes, his plan had obviously been to make me kneel beside him.

He used one hand to tap the floor next to him. "Can't speak up. Please."

Oh, for pete's sake! Where did I draw the line in this thing? He couldn't hurt me, so why did I keep going on with what he wanted. Probably, I admitted, because I had grown so used to having to do all he said. Ever since that fateful day when Barton dragged me in from a perfectly good picture session. I flopped down cross-legged. No way was I kneeling. Not after the Stuttgart incident.

The aliens outside shrieked as one and then everything turned deadly silent. I turned my head to look.

Loki closed his eyes and sighed.

Hey, maybe that was a good sign. Looked like all the Chitauri had fallen from the sky and lay dead on the ground. So maybe the good guys had won. I didn't know what that meant for Loki, but it sure meant good things for me. Like not having to be this creep's queen. A nice thought. It made me smile.

Loki gingerly lifted an arm to touch a strand of my hair, then moved it to caress my cheek. "Mine," he whispered. "You'll always... be mine." His fingers ghosted across my lips, then his arm fell limp.

Looked like the alien prince had passed out. Wow, that rage monster was good at what he did.

"Lady Tessa!" Suddenly, Thor's arm was around my waist and he pulled me to my feet and away from Loki's side. "Are you well? Did he hurt you?" he rested a hand on the side of my neck, staring at me like he thought I might explode or shatter.

I nodded. Because suddenly, a scary thought had occurred to me. What were they going to do with Loki after this? He wasn't dead. And that meant he'd have to go somewhere. His final words to me echoed in my head. _You'll always be mine._

The rest of the Avengers (that was their code name, right?) filtered into the room and stood over Loki, weapons drawn. They each checked on me before taking their stance. That was nice of them. At least someone cared besides the creep on the floor. It was nice to have people that cared.

The instant Loki stirred, they lifted their weapons higher. He crawled to the stairs and turned to face them. His face spoke defeat, and I had to admit that was a nice look to see. Finally.

"If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now."

The monster growled. 

* * *

Weeks later, I stood at a spot in Central Park, near Tony Stark's fire-engine-red sports car and waited for the Asgardians to show up. SHIELD had kept me in their facility while they processed Loki and debriefed me. Of every single piece of information I could ever remember about my ordeal.

Now it was time for the alien princes to go home. For Loki to 'face Asgardian justice' as Thor had told me more than a dozen times. He had promised the dark prince would never harm me again. Which was good, because I still puzzled over his final words. Was it just him being creepy? Or did he have something else major planned? Whatever it was, I didn't like the tone with which he had said it.

Right on time, the guys arrived. Loki had some sort of muzzle strapped around his head, and that made it better for me because then he couldn't talk.

The blue cube came out from somewhere, and Banner put it inside a glass tube. Thor held it out to his brother.

In a flash of blinding light and a slight whoosh of air, the Asgardians disappeared. I was free now, but I would never be the same. I had been kidnapped by a prince. Shot at by aliens. Had met the Avengers and made friends with most of them. Had worn a great dress and been tossed around like a rag doll. Some would call me unlucky, but that was too strong a word. If I had to describe what I was, how this had all played out, I would just say that I had been... misfortunate.


End file.
